Triumph

Triumph: to gain mastery; prevail; to triumph over fear.

This weekend at OCRWC was about progress not perfection. I didn’t accomplish all that I set out to do this weekend, but I still came away with a huge victory!

<< Let’s rewind a minute to talk about my experiences with the obstacle known as Triumph or Dragon’s Back. In 2019 I had already lost my band and didn’t attempt it. In 2021 I was running really well in the 15k but froze on Triumph and spent maybe 30 minutes there before I finally made the second jump. I finished thinking “I’m NEVER doing that again” but unfortunately Triumph was in every race at OCRWC this year so there was no way around it!

I was nervous about Triumph heading into OCRWC this year. On Friday in the 3k I froze up on the second jump just like 2021 all over again! Kris Rugloski and my FitFOCR family were there encouraging me and trying to talk me through it. After many minutes of standing there staring at the second jump I decided that it wasn’t getting any shorter. I was literally shaking and getting more and more panicked about it the longer I stood there. The first jump had been relatively easy, so I got back down and repeated the first jump. I did this a couple times before going for the second leap. But when I finally made the leap, it wasn’t so bad; it felt doable, and I felt like I could do it again! That was huge progress over last year!

>> Fast forward to the team relays on Sunday. Kris Rugloski, Rose Wetzel, and myself put a last minute team together Saturday evening. I was nervous all night beforehand worrying that I might let the team down on Triumph. Pep talks from Kris Ruglowski, Nicole Mericle and Michelle Hedstrom who believed in me more than I did myself helped calm my nerves before the race. To push my fears aside I focused on one section at a time, focusing first on the speed leg of the relay. I made it my job to be the first to Gibbons at the top of the mountain and the first back down to the transition point to maximize our lead in case I froze up later. I executed well and Rose and Kris added to our lead.

When we got to the second jump on Triumph I stuttered while Kris leaped. I froze again. Rose stood by my side and asked what she could do to help me succeed. With immense frustration, I knew I had to get down and do the first jump again. I did it again twice and then Rose said “I’m going to count down from 5” and that did it for me, I made the jump!! We all cheered! That was my biggest victory of the weekend. I am so grateful for the amazing teammates who believed in me, cheered me on, counted me down, and put the right amount of pressure on me. Surround yourself with people who make you better like Kris and Rose. We are so much stronger together.

Side note: I ran the open coed team right after the women's pro team and made that second jump right away, foiling Joel Pazkowski's plan to catch his breath when I froze! 😂